CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, CMC – Head coach Stuart Law has instructed his West Indies team to put up or shut up in the remaining matches they have on this tour.
Law was speaking after the Windies slumped to a 204-run defeat in the second One-day International against the New Zealanders on Saturday at Hagley Oval.
West Indies trail 0-2 in the three-match series, after the Black Caps also won the first ODI two days earlier at Cobham Oval by five wickets.
The final ODI is on Boxing Day, Tuesday, also at Hagley Oval, and will be followed by three Twenty20 Internationals against the same opponents this coming Friday at Saxton Oval in Nelson, and New Year’s Day and January 3 at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
“As I said to them before they left (the ground) and I mentioned it, words are cheap, we’ve got to see actions now,” said Law.
“There’s so much talent in this squad of people. I don’t think what we saw in the first two games is a fair indication of how well these guys can play.
People talk about poor execution, but if it’s the same dismissal over and over again it rivals lunacy.”
Law came down hard on his side, after this were bowled out for 121, chasing 325 for victory, as Windies suffered their heaviest defeat in ODIs against New Zealand.
“The batters know they made mistakes and we’re far better than what we showed,” he said. “Hitting balls into the wind, it’s not very smart, particularly when we spoke about it leading into the game.
“We were trying to get 300 in 25 overs, when we had 50 overs to get it. Our guys want to be positive and play an attractive brand, but you can’t be reckless with it. You’ve got to be smart in the way you go about it.”
The performance did nothing to restore confidence in Jason Holder’s side and build momentum ahead of the 2019 ICC World Cup qualifying tournament next March in Zimbabwe which West Indies have been forced to play, due to missing out on direct entry because of a lowly World ranking.
“We need to settle on a group of players to take us forward,” said Law. “The earlier we can come up with those names (for the World Cup qualifiers) and come up with a plan for those guys leading up to that tournament (the better).”
For now, Law is looking for his side to sign out of the ODI series with a victory, avoiding a clean sweep, and hoping that talismanic left-handed opener Chris Gayle can return to the line-up following injury and give them a spark.
“Fingers crossed, he should be right for the next one,” said Law. “I saw him at breakfast and he seemed to have a little bit more life about him. It’s moving in the right direction.”
